The Storyteller

Chapter 3: The Commission

The door opened without warning and light flooded into the pitch black room. Lynna blinked and covered her eyes with her hand. She had been lying upon the bed in the dark for hours and her eyes had become light-sensitive. She blinked and slowly lowered her hands. She looked around at the cell-like room. Four gray walls, a small round working table, and a simple chair were all that needed to be seen. The demon was in the doorway, making it impossible to properly adjust to the now visible surroundings. Lynna shrank closer back against the head boards of the bed, clutching one of the posts as if she thought the bed might rear up at any moment and protect her like some great quilted lion.

No such protection came for her. Guy strode over to her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her around and away from the posts and dragging her away from the bed. She landed hard upon her feet and she winced, her lame leg still sore from Guy's previous abuse. He did not speak to her, merely brought her out into the light of the fading day. He walked much faster than she and she had to hobble double quick to keep up and even faster if she wanted to walk without being kicked. “Wh-wh-where are you taking me, my lord?” she whispered.

Suddenly, Guy halted his marching pace. He turned to look at her, his gloved fingers tightening about her upper arm. Lynna cowered at such a sight, he looked like a dragon ready to breathe fire and burn her where she stood. The slap came faster than she could have counted on. She jumped, but did not shriek, clasping a hand to her burning cheek. “Silence would be the thing to learn, runt.” He tugged her arm and resumed his march down the Castle hall. “The Sheriff wishes to see you,” he grunted. Lynna distinctly heard him mutter under his breath. “Why he does not kill you I do not know...”

He did not have to answer her question. Odd that he should. Odder still was that he seemed to take no pleasure in causing her any amount of pain, and he took great care to make this small walk as uncomfortable and unpleasant as possible for her. No villainous laughter, no evil grins. Nothing. The demon's face was set in stone. She blinked as she stared up at him, fumbling to continue walking. So pure an evil it was beyond all amusement with him; it simply was in his soul. Lynna looked away, hating with every fiber of her being that he was touching her at all.

A castle guard stood at attention in front of a great pair of wooden doors. Lynna had to lean backwards to completely take in the sight, they were so much taller in comparison to her. The guard opened the door without command. Lynna was hustled inside. Her neck cracking as she was pulled forward so violently and suddenly. She tripped and nearly collided fully against Guy, but she steadied herself before such a horrid act could occur.

“Gisborne, finally. You have the delightful, little leper with you I see, good, good.” The Sheriff, sitting at his desk, looked up at them with a grin.

Guy nodded and tugged the girl towards the small staircase leading down to the desk and the main chambers. Lynna stopped at the edge of the stairs. She shook her head. “I can't,” she said quietly.

“Can't what?” Guy snapped cruelly tugging her closer and closer to the edge of the step.

“I can't...” she looked around as if about to relate a terrible secret. “I can't walk down stairs.”

“That is all right,” Guy pulled her down onto the step and she overbalanced and fell. He released her and let her fall down the rest of the way. “I do not require you to walk.”

Lynna lay at the foot of the staircase. She gave a small groan as she tried to get herself upright. Guy reached her first and pulled her back to her feet by her hair. Gritting her teeth in pain she allowed him to drag her to the center of the room. She was thrown unceremoniously into a chair facing the Sheriff's desk directly. She slumped in it, feeling the bruises forming on her legs and arms.